'The Catcher in the Rye,' reivewed James Stern (1951)
In his negative review of Salinger's classic, James Stern mockingly employs the informal slang of Holden Caufield: "This Salinger, he's a short story guy. And he knows how to write about kids. This book though, it's too long. Gets kind of monotonous."

'The Catcher in the Rye,' reviewed by Nash K. Burger (1951)
". . . an unusually brilliant novel . . . Salinger's rendering of teen-age speech is wonderful: the unconscious humor, the repetitions, the slang and profanity, the emphasis, all are just right."

'Nine Stories,' reviewed by Eudora Welty (1953)
"J. D. Salinger's writing is original, first rate, serious and beautiful. . . . Salinger is a very serious artist, and it is likely that what he has to say will find many forms as time goes by . . ."

'Nine Stories,'reviewed by Charles Poore (1953)
"'Nine Stories' can best be criticized in terms of what we expect of Salinger. Perhaps it's unfair to ask him to be excellent all the time. Nevertheless, the business of playing tunes on the nerves of his characters can become fairly monotonous."

'Franny and Zooey,' reviewed by John Updike (1961)
"When all reservations have been entered . . . about the direction he has taken, it remains to acknowledge that it is a direction, and that the refusal to rest content, the willingness to risk excess on behalf of one's obsessions, is what distinguishes artists from entertainers, and what makes some artists adventurers on behalf of us all."

'Franny and Zooey,' reviewed by Charles Poore (1961)
". . . perhaps the best book by the foremost stylist of his generation."

'Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour -- An Introduction' (1963)
". . . a perplexing combination of literary professionalism and literary self-indulgence, of subtle sophistication and of a basic, not very well-concealed sentimentality. J. D. Salinger is a greatly talented writer who has not yet found his way through the woods."

ARTICLES ABOUT J. D. SALINGER:

J. D. Salinger Speaks About His Silence(November 3, 1974)
Goaded by publication of unauthorized editions of his early, previously uncollected works, Salinger broke a public silence of more than 20 years, issuing a denunciation and revealing he is hard at work on writings that may never be published in his lifetime.

Salinger Was Playing Our Song(June 3, 1979)
Salinger's merits are often confused with nostalgia for his impact on 1950's youth, but this essay says that, "It's nostalgia, as a matter of fact, that can keep us from seeing and saying that Salinger is one of the very best living writers . . ."

Holden, 50, Still Catches(December 21, 1979)
In this essay, Fred Bratman recalls his initial reaction to "my fictional friend, Holden Caulfield," who first appeared in Collier's magazine in 1945.

Where to Find the Sequel to 'The Catcher in the Rye'(July 8, 1980)
In a rare interview, Salinger was quoted in the Boston Globe saying, " I write for myself and I want to be left absolutely alone to do it. . . . There's no more to Holden Caulfield. Read the book again. It's all there."

Publishing: Visit With J. D. Salinger(September 11, 1981)
This article recounts how Betty Eppes, a reporter for The Baton Rouge Advocate, managed a brief interview with J. D. Salinger, which was later published in The Paris Review.

From Salinger, A New Dash Of Mystery(February 20, 1997)
Thirty years after it initially appeared in The New Yorker, Salinger published the story "Hapworth 16, 1924" in book form using an obscure, small press.

J. D. Salinger To Be Focus of a Memoir(November 21, 1997)
The novelist and journalist Joyce Maynard announced that she would publish a memoir in which she would describe her relationship with Salinger.

The Cult of Joyce Maynard(September 6, 1998)
She has written about everything from her messy divorce to her breast implants -- and now there's a detailed account of her youthful affair with J. D. Salinger. The literati may be appalled, but her devoted fans relish every word.

Love Letters in the Wind: Salinger's for Auction(May 12, 1999)
Fourteen letters by Salinger to the writer Joyce Maynard were auctioned at Sotheby's New York, in a move that raised vexing questions about the private rights of public figures.

About Salinger Letters, the Point Is, Um . . .(June 22, 1999)
Joyce Maynard, who has had a rough time in the press since she announced that she was planning to sell the love letters J. D. Salinger sent her when she was 18, says that she has not devoted her life to exploiting her relationship with the famously reclusive author.